We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anne LaMartina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Here in Wisconsin, I find it is somewhat rare for the my engaged couples to hire a wedding planner or coordinator. It is only my assumption that this lack of trend is due to budgetary constraints, however, my couples in Chicago always work with a planner or coordinator, so maybe it is also a cultural trend. Perhaps, Wisconsinites take a little more pride in DIY and underestimate the monumental task that they are undertaking by planning a wedding without professional help.

As a photographer, I love bridging the gap when possible. I find myself spending 2-6 hours assisting my couples plan the perfect timeline. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the photographers who set a firm barrier between their job and a coordinator’s but I have enjoyed it so much that I have just added wedding coordination to my packages as an add-on option. I find this will be especially helpful for couples who have not budgeted for a coordinator but find themselves overwhelmed in the 4th quarter. Numerous times, I have had couples ghost me with a month left until their wedding because they are floundering and do not know where to turn for help. I am SO excited to be able to jump in an assist with anything from simply guest list management to a wedding day’s worth of coordination with my team.

For example, I recently had a discovery call with a potential client who never had been part of a wedding before. She just wants a beautiful wedding but doesn’t know where to start or how to articulate her vision for the day. Call it photographer’s intuition but I could tell she might need a little more help. I adore talking about weddings so not did I only walk her through how an entire wedding day works but I also made a timeline. Our initial consultation took over 2 hours but at the end of it, she expressed how much more confident she felt. I don’t give a hard sell so there is no pressure to book with me, but if she does, she will know she will be in good hands.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I thought my interest in photography developed in my adulthood but, looking back, it occurred to me that one Christmas when I was 12, my divorced parents both gave me a point and shoot camera. Just like that, I became the official photographer of not just my family, but also my whole seventh grade class. I was shy and it was hard to connect with my peers, so taking photos of class trips and activities became my way of fitting in. Funnily enough, at 36, I still feel that way. If I have a camera in my hand, I can talk to anyone but without it, I can feel a little lost.

And then there was my uncle, Rick. (Richard LaMartina). Rick was an award-winning nature photographer and I was in complete awe of him and his work. I wanted to be just like him. Unfortunately, he had passed away before I could convince him to mentor me, so when I first picked up a DSLR camera in my 20s, it was in honor of him.

(Minneapolis) I landed in the wedding industry when I helped friends build their videography business. Thats when I first experienced the insane adrenaline rush it is to have an inquiry turn into a booking. I mean, come on, is there any better feeling than a small business getting it’s first, or even 200th client? In my opinion, no.

Eventually, I moved on and made my own way. I started taking photos. A year into my photography journey, I got my first client; a very brave friend who needed a wedding photographer. I was taking a couple photo classes at the time and tag-teamed the wedding with a fellow student. Let me tell you, this is NOT how I recommend starting out in the business. Although our first wedding was seamless, 8 years later, I now know all the horrific things that could have went wrong. For one, we both were using cameras with only one memory card slot. Two, I had acquired my first speedlite the week prior… need I go on?

For those wondering, I recommend dipping your toes in as an assistant first, then graduate into a second photographer, and then eventually, when you are really confident with your camera and the flow of a wedding, cautiously take your first as a lead. But I was deluded by the idea that since I helped out doing video for a few weddings, I knew what I was doing.

Luck was on my side though, and slowly between 2017-2021 I gained enough experience and clients to take the plunge to go full time (Madison, WI). The challenge of being a business owner never ceases but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Recently, life brought me to the middle of nowhere (Wild Rose, WI) and the challenge has been recreating a business plan in order to find clients when living in an unpopulated area. So far, it is a lot of trial and error but I know I will find momentum again. I am always of the mindset that the universe takes us where we need to go and I am ready for it!

I am most proud of staying true to myself and what feels right to me as not only a business owner & creative, but also as a human. The wedding industry is cutthroat. Through my journey, I have needed lots of advice from fellow creatives and you get the message over and over that there is one, maybe two ways of doing things and usually it doesn’t include compassion. I have always operated from my heart first.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Oh my gosh! Such a great question. Having mentored a couple photographers, I always tell them to only post questions to Facebook photography groups if it is a very well thought out question and if they have thick skin that day. Have you noticed how mean people are on Facebook? While you will still get bullies on Reddit, I have found the community more helpful and tolerant. And best of all, you can stay 100% anonymous. If you ask a dumb question or have an embarrassing anecdote, you have a place to post and not feel totally humiliated. Trust me, I have done this numerous times.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Let’s talk a moment about imposter syndrome. What they don’t tell you is that we have all had it at some point and I am far from an exception. I had an unorthodox path into this industry and it never helped with my confidence. I was always upfront with my clients about my experience level but, at the end of the day, I was lucky that my lack of experience never equated to a terrible outcome. I was truly a pro at learning on the fly and staying calm.

I was always asking for advise online on various Facebook photography groups (I literally had no one else to ask for the first 3-4 years) and the responses I got were often judgy and unhelpful. I had to filter through the noise for the one comment that actually helped and resonated with me. Then of course, I had to deal with all the shame that came with not having it all figured out yet and the comments about how inexperienced photographers were ruining the wedding industry.

I must have REALLY wanted to be a wedding photographer because I stuck with it. Eight years in and over 100 couples hitched, I can say with confidence that I know what I am doing (hallelujah!) and I am finally in a position to pass on the nuggets of gold I have gathered through the years.

Because of this journey, I really enjoy mentoring others in a kind and constructive manner. I always am sure to tell them that uncertainty is part of the process. It is so easy to see a peer post a fabulous photo online, see the 345 likes, and think your equally as fabulous photo that got 8 likes means you are a failure but it DOESN’T. Your peer is great at pleasing the mysterious algorithm gods while you may be better at more invisible things like putting together a perfect timeline or having immaculate accounting records. When you feel that imposter syndrome rear its ugly head, I find it best to just not scroll social media for a while and try to take a well deserved break from thinking about photography. Rest, refuel, and then kill it at the next shoot!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.creelaviestudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creelaviestudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creelaviestudios
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@creelaviestudios

Image Credits

All photos are by Cree La Vie Studios (Me & Associates)